TL;DR: The Half Moon Festival is a ticketed, two-day jungle rave held near Ban Tai on Koh Phangan, roughly twice a month, timed around the half-moon point between full moons rather than the free beach-based Full Moon Party at Haad Rin. 2026 dates confirmed so far include 10-11 January, 25-26 January, 9-10 February, 23 July, 5-6 August and 21-22 August, with the organiser publishing further months closer to the date. A 2-day Wonder Access pass costs ฿3,500, a night-only Magic Forest ticket runs ฿2,400-2,700, a day-only Harmony Beach Club pass is ฿1,500, and VIP Stand tickets cost ฿4,000-4,900; tickets are sold online only, not at the door. The event runs across two venues, Harmony Beach Club (day party, 3pm-11:30pm) and the Halfmoon Magic Forest a couple of kilometres inland at Ban Tai (night party, 10pm-sunrise), both reachable by songthaew or taxi from Thong Sala or Ban Tai for roughly ฿150-500 depending on whether you share. All prices ฿33 = US$1 (July 2026).
If you’ve searched “Half Moon Party” or “Half Moon Festival Koh Phangan,” you’ve probably also seen the Full Moon Party come up in the same breath, and it’s worth untangling the two before you book anything. This guide covers what the Half Moon Festival actually is, where it’s held, what 2026 tickets and dates look like, and how it stacks up against the free party at Haad Rin, plus honest notes on getting there and back. Every price, date and venue detail below is checked against the organiser’s own 2026 pages and current Koh Phangan travel sources, listed at the end.
What is the Half Moon Festival?
It’s a paid, produced electronic music event in a jungle venue, held roughly every two weeks, distinct from the free monthly Full Moon Party at Haad Rin. The organiser behind halfmoonfestival.com says the event has run in some form for more than 20 years, positioning it as an alternative to the bigger, rowdier Full Moon crowd: a smaller, ticketed party with a fixed lineup, built stages, lighting rigs and fire performers rather than an open beach free-for-all. The name comes from its rough timing around the half-moon point of the lunar cycle, roughly midway between full moons, though in practice the current schedule runs it about twice a month rather than strictly on the half moon itself.
The two venues: Harmony Beach Club and the Magic Forest
The current format is a two-day event across two sites, both in the Ban Tai area on Koh Phangan’s south coast.
| Day 1: Harmony Beach Club | Day 2: Halfmoon Magic Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Setting | Beachfront, pool access | Jungle clearing, multiple stages |
| Hours | ~3pm-11:30pm | ~10pm-sunrise |
| Address | 99/5 Moo 1, Ban Tai | 72/39 Moo 2, Ban Tai |
| Vibe | Laid-back day-into-sunset | Immersive jungle rave |
| Music | Warm-up sets, house | House, techno, psytrance, R&B/hip-hop |
The Magic Forest is the main event: a purpose-built festival ground a couple of kilometres inland from the coast road, with named stages (Prime Stage, The Cave) rather than a single dance floor. Harmony Beach Club functions as the pre-party, included free for anyone holding a 2-day pass.
Half Moon Festival 2026 dates
The organiser has confirmed dates into the first half of 2026, with more added closer to each month. Published dates so far: 10-11 January, 25-26 January and 9-10 February, then a gap in listings before 23 July (single-day), 5-6 August and 21-22 August. That pattern, roughly two events per month, matches how the festival has run in recent years, but the site doesn’t publish a full year in advance, so if you’re planning a trip for a specific month later in 2026, check the official schedule again nearer the time rather than assuming a date will repeat exactly two weeks apart.
How much do tickets cost?
Expect ฿1,500-3,500 for a standard ticket, or up to ฿4,900 for VIP, all sold online only. Here’s the full breakdown from the organiser’s 2026 pricing:
| Ticket | Price | Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Day-only (Harmony Beach Club) | ฿1,500 (~US$45) | Beach party, 2 free drinks |
| Night-only, standard (Magic Forest) | ฿2,400-2,700 (~US$73-82) | Forest party, 2-4 free drinks |
| 2-Day Wonder Access | ฿3,500 (~US$106) | Both parties, 5 free drinks, 10% food discount |
| VIP Stand (night only) | ฿4,000-4,900 (~US$121-148) | Private zone, 4 drinks, merchandise, towels |
Speedboat-inclusive packages from Koh Samui are also sold, bundling a return speedboat and hotel transfer with a Wonder Access or VIP ticket. All tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable, and the site is explicit that it doesn’t sell at the gate, so buy ahead if you have a date locked in.
Half Moon Party vs Full Moon Party
Full Moon is bigger, free and looser; Half Moon is smaller, paid and considerably more produced.
| Half Moon Festival | Full Moon Party | |
|---|---|---|
| Venue | Jungle clearing near Ban Tai | Open beach at Haad Rin |
| Cost | ฿1,500-4,900 ticketed | Free to enter |
| Crowd size | Smaller, capped by ticketing | Very large, thousands on a busy month |
| Music | Curated house/techno/psytrance lineup | Mixed, varies stage to stage/bar to bar |
| Production | Built stages, lighting, fire shows | Minimal, mostly bars and sound systems |
| Frequency | Roughly twice a month | Once a month, on the full moon |
| Typical timing | Two days, night party to sunrise | One long night, dusk to dawn |
If the appeal of the Full Moon Party is the free, chaotic, anything-goes beach scene, the Half Moon Festival won’t replicate that: it’s a different product aimed at people who want curated electronic music and real production without Haad Rin’s scale. If you want both, the two events are deliberately scheduled apart so you can do either or both on the same trip.
Getting there from Thong Sala, Ban Tai or Haad Rin
A shared songthaew from Thong Sala costs roughly ฿150-200 per person; a private taxi runs ฿500-800 for the vehicle, agreed before you get in since none of them run on a meter. Both venues sit in the Ban Tai area, 10-20 minutes by road from most accommodation on the island’s west and south coasts. For the night event specifically, songthaews and taxi trucks also run directly from the Ban Tai 7-Eleven junction to the Magic Forest entrance throughout the night, and keep running after sunrise, so getting back to your hotel at 5 or 6am isn’t the problem it can be at other late-night venues. If you’re staying on Koh Samui rather than Koh Phangan, the organiser’s speedboat packages handle the return crossing and a hotel transfer on both ends.
Honest downsides
- It’s not the free Full Moon experience. If you specifically want the classic beach-bucket, no-ticket Haad Rin scene, this event won’t give you that; it’s a different, paid format by design.
- Tickets are online only. There’s no door sale to fall back on if you decide at the last minute, and passes are non-refundable, so a change of plan means a lost ticket.
- Dates aren’t published a full year ahead. The organiser releases 2026 dates in batches, so booking flights or accommodation for a month that isn’t listed yet means working off the general “roughly twice a month” pattern rather than a confirmed date.
- It’s still a late, all-night event in a jungle venue. Uneven ground, limited lighting away from the stages and a long night to sunrise are all worth planning for regardless of how organised the production is.
- Transport isn’t included unless you buy a package. Standard tickets get you into the venue only; songthaew or taxi fares to and from Ban Tai are on top.
Bottom line
The Half Moon Festival is worth booking if you want a properly produced jungle rave, house/techno/psytrance music and a smaller, ticketed crowd, and you’re happy paying ฿1,500-4,900 for that over the free Full Moon alternative. Buy online in advance since there’s no door sale, check the official 2026 schedule for the month you’re travelling since dates are released in batches, and budget ฿150-800 on top for songthaew or taxi transport from wherever you’re staying. If you’re building a wider Koh Phangan itinerary, pair this with a look at where to stay on Koh Phangan, the island’s best beaches, and the Full Moon Party dates if you want to catch both events on one trip. If you’re routing in from Koh Samui, check how to get from Koh Samui to Koh Phangan first, and browse what’s on for anything else happening around your dates.
Sources
- Halfmoon Festival: 2026 Festival Dates: confirmed 2026 dates (23 July, 5-6 August, 21-22 August, 5-6 September) and two-day beach-then-forest format
- Halfmoon Festival: Ticket Details: full 2026 ticket pricing (day, night, 2-day, VIP, speedboat packages) and inclusions
- Halfmoon Festival: official homepage: venue addresses for Harmony Beach Club and Halfmoon Magic Forest, event history, day/night schedule times
- Thaiest: Half Moon Party Koh Phangan 2026 Dates in Thailand: venue location near Ban Tai, comparison of vibe/crowd size to the Full Moon Party
- JustWravel: Half Moon Party Thailand 2026 Guide: venue distances from Thong Sala Pier, Half Moon vs Full Moon comparison table, ticket price range
- Fullmoonparty-thailand.com: How to Get to the Full Moon Party: Thong Sala to Haad Rin songthaew (฿150-200) and taxi (฿500-800) pricing used for the general transport cost range
- Megatix: Halfmoon Festival, 10th & 11th January 2026: confirms January 2026 event date and ticketing platform
- Megatix: Halfmoon Festival, 25th & 26th January 2026: confirms second January 2026 date and the twice-a-month pattern
- Megatix: Halfmoon Festival, 9th & 10th February 2026: confirms February 2026 date and pre-party/main-event venue split